Food is the new Internet, only bigger.

Published August 16, 2016

Kimbal Musk says food is the new Internet, only bigger. In this interview Kimbal Musk, venture capitalist and environmentalist, talks about our broken food systems, and the economic opportunities waiting for those willing to come to its rescue.

When Musk co-founded The Kitchen Community, a restaurant chain and non-profit organization, he says the inspiration was deeply personal as he dedicated himself to taking food to a new culture. As in the name, the Kitchen Community joins communities to accelerate what they call ‘real food culture’ – by setting up gardens where kids and adults learn about eating food that nourishes them, the farmer, and the planet. Musk explains that our current industrial food system isn´t serving us right with low-price foods that are high in calories but low in nutrients – nor is the system working to feed the poor around the world.

However, the future is bright for those who believe in it. ‘The wave of innovation that is coming in food is quite extraordinary’, says Musk, comparing the Internet to the $5 trillion global food industry, with the latter coming out on top. ‘The opportunity in real food is that companies now have billion dollar opportunities to go deliver fresh, local, organic food at prices that people can afford, and at scale of the world.’ Also during his on-stage speech the message is clear: as consumers we are making informed decisions about what food is doing to our health and the environment, and there are plenty of opportunities to be had for the food industry by responding to this.

In that respect, Musk emphasizes having a truly world-wide perspective, and the importance of the EAT Stockholm Food Forum successfully managing to converge people from all various sectors involved in food. He says this is a place ‘any thought leader in food needs to be every year.